U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal has served the residents of the 7th Congressional District for nine years, and she’s been a stalwart defender of the Constitution. She deserves another term in office.
Among the district and area projects she helped secure federal funding for are $3.1 million for the city of Seattle’s Fort Lawton redevelopment; $2 million for the city of Lake Forest Park Lakefront Park community center; $850,000 for Burien’s public market project; and $4 million for Sound Transit.
A member of the House Judiciary Committee, she is the ranking member of the Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement subcommittee and could be chair if Democrats take back the House. She also serves on the Constitution and Limited Government subcommittee. In these roles Jayapal has been a constant and amplified voice in denouncing the physical and legal abuses of the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
She has been critical of the reduced funding of immigration services such as for immigration judges and she has proposed legislation to ban for-profit companies from operating detention facilities, such as the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma operated by GEO Group. Jayapal, who migrated from India as a teenager, cites immigration reform as her “why’’ for initially running for Congress.
“I have big plans for that committee in terms of holding this administration accountable for things they’ve done — subpoenaing if we have to,” Jayapal said. “Holding them accountable for criminal conduct and to get accountability for the people who have been killed in our streets and the kidnappings and the deportations.”
She’s also helping to shape the Democratic position on comprehensive immigration reform.
“It will have border security and some changes. You can’t secure the border if you don’t have a process that has legal pathways for people to come in, and to grant a path to citizenship for those that are here,” she said.
In April, Jayapal introduced a war powers resolution to remove U.S. armed forces from the war in Iran. It passed in the House but failed in the Senate. Looking ahead, she sees two possible ways to end U.S. involvement. She expects enough bipartisan votes in both chambers to pass a resolution, and if Democrats control the House they could sue the administration over Trump’s lack of authority to wage war. The other way is for the Appropriations Committee to stop funds for the war.
In addition, Jayapal continues to push for a ban on stock trading by members of Congress and the president, and proposed a bipartisan bill that would do just that.
“We have Democrats who don’t want this bill to come to the floor and Republicans who don’t want this bill to come to the floor. If we can bring it to the floor it would pass,” something she anticipates under a Democratic House speaker.
At this critical time in our federal government, Jayapal’s knowledge and tenacity is what the nation needs.
